Truck Accidents on the Rise in Florida

Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) December 5, 2016 – There has been an alarming increase in truck accidents in Florida.

According to statistics from Florida’s Integrated Report Exchange System (FIRES), there was an increase in commercial vehicle accidents in the state, from 34,450 in 2014 to 38,265 in 2015. The 2014 numbers were also an increase from 32,087 commercial vehicle crashes in 2013. As of Nov. 13, the number of collisions involving commercial vehicles in 2016 stood at 34,623, already above the total for 2014, and on track to be worse than 2015.

“The increase in truck accidents is of special concern, because accidents involving heavy vehicles are more likely to result in serious injury or death,” said Robert Joyce, a car and truck accident attorney with the Tampa firm of Joyce & Reyes. “Trucking companies, truck drivers, regulators and the public need to put safety first.”

The total number of vehicle collisions, injuries and fatalities are also on the rise. In 2015, there were 374,557 crashes of all types in Florida, resulting in 243,422 injuries and 2,940 deaths. That is an increase from 2014, when there were 344,499 crashes in the state, causing 225,769 injuries and 2,497 fatalities.

The number of truck accidents in Florida rose at a greater rate than other types of collisions. From 2014 to 2015, there was an 11 percent increase in truck accidents, compared to an 8.7 percent increase in crashes of all types.

Safety experts have argued that stricter regulations are needed to improve truck safety. A new rule will require all trucks to be equipped with electronic logging devices that measure their hours on the road. Trucking companies have until Dec. 31, 2017 to comply with the regulation, but some smaller companies have complained that the cost has the potential to drive them out of business.

Learn more at http://www.joyceandreyespa.com Joyce and Reyes Law Firm, P.A. 307 S Hyde Park Ave Tampa, FL 33606 Call: 813.251.2007